Balancing millstones



UNITED srxrns PATENT onrion.

JNO. FAIRCLOUGH, OF LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY.

BALANCING MILLSTONES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 22,356, dated December 21, 1858 Reissued August 2, 1859, No. 786.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, JOHN F AIRCLOUGH, of Louisville, in the county of Jefferson and State of Kentucky, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Balancing Millstones; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the same, reference being had to the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which Figure 1, is a vertical central section of an upper mill-stone or runner with my invention applied to it and also bisected. Fig. 2, is a plan or top view of ditto.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the two figures.

This invention relates to an improved arrangement of adjustable weights which are fitted in the upper stone or runner in such a manner as will be hereinafter fully shown and described, whereby the stone may be perfectly balanced on its spindle, both as regards its gravity or weight, and the centrifugal force generated by its rotation.

To enable others skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention, I will proceed to describe it.

A, represents an upper mill-stone or runner of usual construction.

B, is the bail which is fitted in the eye a, and C, is the driver, placed on a spindle D, and having its ends fitted in recesses in the driver. The lower end of the spindle is stepped in a box E, which rests on a bridge tree F, that is regulated or adjusted by a screw rod G, as plainly shown in Fig. 1.

The above parts are of usual construction and therefore do not require a minute description.

In the upper surface of the stone A, recesses b, are made to receive cylindrical metal boxes H. These boxes are fitted in the stone near its periphery, and four may be used, at equal distances apart. I do not, however, confine myself to any particular number, although perhaps four would be preferable. The boxes are each provided with a cover or cap 0, the caps being secured to the boxes by screws d.

The boxes H, extend down to the lower part of the stone, and each has a metal cylinder I, fitted within it. The cylinders I,

are considerably shorter than the boxes H, in order to allow the former a requisite degree of adjustability within the latter, see

Fig. 1. The cylinders I, have each a vertical tube 0, fitted centrally within them, the lower ends of the tubes being attached to transverse or cross bars f, at the bottoms of the cylinders. The tubes 6, have screw threads formed on them both inside and out, and a screw 9, passes through each tube, said screws also passing centrally through the caps c, the lower ends being stepped in the bottoms of the boxes H. In the upper part of each cylinder I, a circular plate It, is fitted. These plates are screwed on the tubes 6, and in each cylinder a series of weights 6, are placed. The bottoms j, of the cylinders rest on nuts 7c, which are fitted on the tubes 6.

The cylinders I, are provided with two projections Z, at opposite points of their peripheries, and these projections fit in slots or grooves m, in the boxes H, and serve as guides to the same, and prevent them turning with the screws 9.

From the above description it will be seen that the stone A, may, so far as its gravity is concerned, be readily balanced on the spindle I), by the weights 2', more or less being placed in each cylinder so as to effect the result, but by doing this it will be observed that when the stone is rotated, centrifugal force will be generated and this adjustment of the weights in order to balance the stone on the spindle may cause a lateral pressure and an undue degree of friction on the collar of the spindle D, for instance, if one cylinder I, has half its weights removed and the opposite cylinder is full in order to balance the stone, it will be seen that when the stone is rotated, the side of the stone which has the greater number of weights 2', will, owing to centrifugal force, have a greater tendency to fly off in a tangent than the opposite side, itbeing understood that the center of gravity of the weights are supposed to be in the same horizontal plane. In order, therefore, to remedy this difiiculty, the cylinders I, are rendered adjustable and raised and lowered within the boxes H, by turning the screws 9, and the center of gravity of the weights may be adjusted relatively with the point of the spindle D, so as to neutralize this unequal centrifugal force. If but few weights are in a cylinder the cylinder requires to be elevated so as to increase the distance between the point of the spindle and the center of gravity of the weights. If many weights are in a cylinder, their center of gravity is brought in line or in the samev horizontal plane with the point of the spindle. In case but few weights 2', are employed in a cylinder those few must necessarily be adjusted in the upper part of the cylinder and box H, the cylinder in this case may be removed, the nuts secured in proper position by the nut 72, on the tube E, and the I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The arrangement of the cylinders I, within the boxes H, the former being provided with tubes 6, having screw threads on their outer and inner surfaces, and provided with screws g, and the cylinders provided with projections Z, which fit in the grooves m, of the boxes, as and for the purpose set forth.

2. I also claim the plates h, and bottoms j, of the cylinders I, when screwed on the tubes 6, and used in connection with the nuts is, sulastantially as and for the purpose specifie L JOHN FAIROLOUGH.

W itnesses A. W. VVALLER, I. C. lVALLER.

[FIRST PRINTED 1911.] 

